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Talents
'Definition' A talent can be almost anything; a physical skill, a mental trait, or a social ability. Rather than have a write-up for every single talent that could ever possibly exist, we elected to have one basic explanation of what the different levels of the various talents look like for our authors to use as a guide in their writing. Do not abuse the system. Do not argue with the staff. If we think you’re overplaying your character, we will kindly let you know and ask you to correct your approach. The highest priority we have on Feloszt is for people to have a good time. Having everyone play within the same parameters of character progression is one major step towards achieving that goal. Wielding magic and a handful of other very particular talents are outlined on their own. This is more for the everyday applications that have parallels in the real world such as domestic talents like cooking & cleaning, prowess with weapons, dealing with animals, handling the various aspects of a business and, of course, crafting. One gains tallies by using a specific talent in character. This cannot be something passive as noted in a narrative but must actually be written as the character performing the deed. It is important that you write your character according to his or her talent level. Scholars will review all completed threads and award tallies based upon a character's current rank and the author's ability to display proper usage. Each level is explained in more detail below. 'Rank Tree' Initiate 1-25: The character is just learning. Knowledge is power and gaining more at this stage feels like a constant uphill battle. New tricks, abilities, skills and such will take work to understand even the most basic of these. Repetition and patience will pay off with less pain and failure than rushing through training or trying to do too much at once. (Of course, that’s not to say one can’t choose this route just add consequences accordingly.) Initiates are just that; beginners. They will be apprentices under shop owners or squires to a knight. Savant 26-50: The character has now learned the basics and can begin to build upon the foundations of earlier lessons. Compounding talents is common in this stage but that is still experimentation d can be risky. The simpler tasks begin to look easy from an outside perspective. The tricker ones don’t seem so awkward. The character still has a great deal to learn and it’s not always easy but by this stage, a method has likely developed which allows the absorption of new information faster than before. It is clear that the character has a knack for this particular talent. This level represents the working stiff. Savants know enough to earn a living (good or fair depends more on what and where than it does on ability). Most people in the world would fall in this category until they've dedicated a large amount of time to a single craft to be considered a veteran. Common savants would be a cook at a tavern, a soldier, a gardener, or a stable hand. Veteran 51-75: When a character reaches this stage, others begin to look to him or her for guidance and even teaching. This person knows enough to feel comfortable in almost any situation related to the specified talent but also is aware that there is always more to learn. The basics are second nature and easily performed with minimal risk. This is the phase of a talent where skills and abilities lose some of their mechanical aspects and start to transcend into an art form. The character is likely to be better than most in their chosen field at this point. A blacksmith who has earned enough money and respect to open his own shop, the quartermaster of the town militia, the headmaster of a school are all examples of veterans. Elite 76-100: A great deal of effort, hard work and practice have yielded the character just rewards. Only a select few ever ascend so high in a specific talent. The character may gain some renas a result of their near-mastery in their chosen specialty. There is very little one does not know or understand and only a few tasks are beyond one’s reach. For most talents, this will be the final level one can attain. Elite careers could be the governor of a province, a general in the army, a singer famous across an entire continent, or a chef whose meals are so delicious that he is regularly asked to prepare food for royalty. Legend [101+: In a world of heroes, villains, and incredible possibilities, there is room for the rise of legends. A character may choose one talent that he or she can take to a whole new level. This is not only a massive undertaking In-Character but also Out-of-Character. To grasp the status of legend, one has to apply. *Have achieved 99 tallies in a single talent. *Are in good standing with the game and staff. *Submit a challenge fitting of a legend that will become a moderated thread run by a staffer. *Complete the challenge. Once Legendary rank has been gained, the player can continue to learn and press deeper into the chosen talent. There is no limit to what can be achieved but this comes with a big flag of caution. In no way does this create a god-like status. There are still consequences to attempting too large of a leap in the area of expertise and large-scale failures can produce dire results. Any massive undertakings are recommended to be brought before a staff member for consultation. This is less about permissions and more about maintaining an even progression of knowledge. Legends stand alone. They can make their own way in the world or choose to be a part of it. 'Awards' Scholars will award players by adding to their tally in individual talents. The Thread Review Guide goes into more detail about this process but as a general rule one cannot gain more than five (5) tallies per skill in a single thread. 'Blanket Talents & Differentiation' Since there are so many skills, traits, and abilities in the world (ours and Feloszt), there will be times when a single talent will be used to blanket several others. A common example is Seduction. This talent will incorporate kissing, flirting, sex as well as several other common behaviors. Likewise, Warsmithing will be used to house both armor and weapon smithing while Blacksmithing will cover everything else. Other skills may require an intentional method of discernment. As an example, Socialization is the act of communicating just to interact with another being. Persuasion is communicating in such a way that one seeks to achieve a goal; be it a better price, a fairer judgment or a reluctant date. Rhetoric will also blanket terms like Negotiation and Persuasion. Using a weapon or an object in an unconventional way for a fight is considered brawling. EX:: Smacking someone with a bow to distract them or picking up a vase and smashing it on someone's head would both be considered Brawling. 'Compiling Weapon Talents' Many weapons share similar traits and characteristics in terms of functionality and use. Because of this, weapons of the same class will be able to piggyback off of an initial talent. Twenty percent of a character's primary weapon in any one class can be applied to other weapons which share that class. The total will be rounded down to the nearest whole number and applied in the first thread where the new weapon is used. This will be systematic and all weapons where this feature is applied must be blessed by a Celestial. Please see below for details. EX:: Jackson has a tally of 52 in Weapon-Shortsword. This is a one-handed, bladed weapon. The gladius is also a one-handed, bladed weapon. Instead of starting at 0, Jackson can use his knowledge of the weapon class to gain 20% (rounded down to the nearest whole number) of his shortsword tally in the first thread where he practices with a Gladius. This would result in Jackson defaulting to a tally of 10 in Weapon-Gladius. EX:: Leah has been using a shortbow all her life and has a tally of 78. When she joined the palace guard, she was given a longbow with which to train. In her first thread, Leah will gain a tally of 15 in Weapon-Longbow. Common Classes (not an inclusive list) *Daggers & concealed blades *One-handed: bladed, blunt, axe *Two-handed: bladed, blunt, polearm *Throwing: small, large *Bows *Crossbows *Fist Incompatible Examples *Crossbows and regular bows are not the same skillset and cannot have their tallies applied to one another. *A bastard sword is considered both a one-handed and a two-handed weapon in real life. For simplicity's sake, it shall be considered a two-handed, bladed weapon. *A javelin is not a polearm since its primary design to be a ranged weapon. Tallies can still be earned for melee usage, however. ''SPECIAL NOTE '' Fist weapons may receive bonus tallies from talents such as Boxing, Unarmed Combat or a developed discipline that has focused attacks using one's hands. As always, we seek to improve our explanations and our readers' understanding. Please direct any questions, additions, or concerns to your friendly neighborhood staffer.